The British Home Secretary has apologised to the Birmingham Six for the miscarriage of justice they suffered. The men have complained for many years that no official has ever offered them an apology for their false imprisonment.
But the Six remain unhappy that Mr Jack Straw made no firm commitment yesterday to improve their compensation terms and that he declined to meet them.
They said that they would seek redress in Europe for what they see as the
British government's failure to compensate them adequately.
Five of the men wrongly convicted for the IRA pub bombing in Birmingham in
1974 and cleared on appeal in 1991 presented a letter to Mr Straw yesterday seeking clarification of the British government's position on compensation. It is understood that the men have received £200,000 each and have been offered further interim payments of between £50,000 and £
250,000.
In a letter to one of the Six, Mr Billy Power, Mr Straw said: "My officials are in touch with your solicitors about the terms of your response, and you will be pleased to know you will receive further interim payments. But I am afraid I
think there would be no value in our meeting."
Mr Straw added: "It is a matter of great regret when there are miscarriages of justice. You wrote that you have never received a proper apology. I believe there has been a miscarriage of justice in your convictions. I am very sorry indeed that this should have happened."
Mr Power said: "Jack Straw's apology means very little to us. What we want is a public recognition of the facts. We had nothing to do with the IRA bombings.
We want justice. We have suffered enough."
The letter to Mr Straw indicated that they intended to seek an award from the
European courts. The letter stated: "We have been 23 years in litigation with the Home Office. We cannot take any more . . . The offer is derisory, and pours salt on open wounds. It does not begin to reflect the enormity of suffering we and our families have endured over the past 23 years. Unless there is a substantial improvement in the overall offer of compensation, and serious attempts to settle our claim quickly, we intend to go from a judicial review and take our case to Europe."
The men have been unhappy at what they see as the slow response to complete the compensation payments. Many of them had to move from their homes in
Birmingham. Another of the six, Mr Paddy Hill, said: "It is like talking to a brick wall. We are deeply disappointed at the way Jack Straw has approached this so far. They simply don't want to respond to our case."